27 April 2024
Photo scoopdyga.com
Saturday, 27 April 2024, Auteuil Racecourse (Paris)—Drama unfolded at the very first hurdle of the €174,000 Amadou 4yo Hurdle Race (Gr2), the final preparatory step towards the Prix Alain du Breil (Gr1) for 4-year-old hurdlers. The hot favourite, Léon du Berlais (Authorized), lost his balance upon landing, just as Sanguido (Mastercraftsman) unexpectedly changed course right before him.
Having dominated in the Prix d’Indy, Léon du Berlais was thus deprived of an ideal prep race before the promotion's hurdling championship. King Conti (Pastorius) found himself leading a diminished field of five, closely followed by Kibboutz (Spanish Moon) and Bon Garçon (Masterstroke), neither of whom let King Conti out of their sight. By the final turn, these three had pulled away, and approaching the penultimate hurdle, Kibboutz challenged the leader, who had broken his two-race winning streak, including a victory in the Prix Virelan. Bon Garçon took up the challenge at the last hurdle but couldn’t quite catch Kibboutz, who powered home to win by a length, leaving King Conti seven lengths adrift in third place.
Representing owners Simon Munir, Isaac Souede, and the Haras de Saint-Voir, Kibboutz now boasts three wins and a second-place finish from four outings. While Léon du Berlais's unexpected exit was unfortunate, Kibboutz’s commanding victory was undeniably impressive.
Kibboutz is the fifth foal out of Tire en Touche (Turgeon), a mare from Saint-Voir who placed three times in six starts, competing in five hurdle races and one steeplechase but never securing a win. At stud, her first foal, Dans la Foulée (Alberto Giacometti), won the Wild Monarch 3yo Fillies Hurdle Race (L) before swiftly moving to steeplechasing, where she consistently placed but never won. Another notable offspring, Joue le Jeu (Ivanhowe), also won on debut in Pau, followed by five runner-up finishes.
Evidently, Kibboutz, with three wins to his name, is the luckiest of the family! Following him, the mare produced Le Nez Creux (No Risk At All), a 3-year-old filly who has yet to race and has been withdrawn from training after being entered for hurdling, Monnaie de Singe (Karaktar), a 2-year-old filly, and Non Conformiste (Telecaster), born in 2023.
Tire en Touche is a full sister to Sept Vérités (Turgeon), another Prix Wild Monarch (L) winner, both being daughters of Sagarade (Nashamaa), who is a full sister to the 4yo Chasing championship winner Turgot. Sagarade and Turgot’s dam was herself a sister to the champion Lute Antique.